


Stealing Starlight

by AshMish111



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Kagome - Freeform, SessKag Monthly Prompt, Sesshomaru - Freeform, Sesskag - Freeform, sesshomaruxkagome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:01:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 11,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27890434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshMish111/pseuds/AshMish111
Summary: Collection of one shots written for my own amusements as well as Tumblr prompts and challenges centered around Sesshomaru and Kagome. It’s all SessKag all the time in here!
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Kudos: 29





	1. Star

**Author's Note:**

> Written for SessKag monthly prompts on tumblr.  
> December’s Prompt: Star

_ ~*Twinkle twinkle little star*~ _

His eyes flashed and his hair shined. His aura glowed brighter than anything she’d ever seen; she needed no training to key in to the resonance with which his soul vibrated, he made himself known on every level a being could be known.

But only on the shimmering surface.

_ ~*How I wonder what you are*~ _

Dog demon.

Killing perfection.

General.

Lord.

All labels to describe his duties and capabilities.

Dangerous.

Predatory.

Stealthy.

Words to describe him in his most basic sense.

Strong.

Solid.

Tall.

Beautiful.

Added to the growing tally of words on the mental list she’d been making totally by accident.

It grew longer by the day as their groups had merged in their quest to kill a spider and steal a jewel, but Kagome felt she was missing something, something hidden in plain sight.

_ ~*Up above the world so high*~ _

Sometimes when he flew during their travels it was on a sparkling cloud made up of youki that caught the light like flecks of glitter. He would touch down at midday and wait for them to eat, drink and rest and the glitter cloud would follow him down and dissipate from around him in slow wisps and curls. Miroku had caught her staring more than once and she’d pretended to ignore his knowing smirk as she rummaged through her pack for dried rations and trail mix, little bits of sustenance that all but Sesshomaru himself would partake in. She never saw him eat anything, certainly not the futuristic snacks she brought through the well, but she always offered. Sometimes he would just look away, sometimes he would decline in a low but polite voice, but he always declined.

And she always offered again.

If asked, she would say that it felt rude to exclude him.

In secret, she’d begun hoping each time would be a time he’d grace her with his voice.

_ ~*Like a diamond in the sky*~ _

“What is it you read out here each night?”

The abrupt way his voice cut through her solitude and concentration startled her. She looked up from the pages of her book to see him drift slowly out of the trees and into the empty clearing she’d taken refuge in a short walk from camp. This was about the time each night he patrolled the area of their camp, so she felt safe stepping away from some alone time.

“Uh... it’s astronomy.”

His head tilted slightly to the side, only a scant indication that he didn’t understand.

“Oh! Sorry, astronomy is the study of the stars. And other planets and things. As I get further along in my education, the subjects get more complicated so I need the space from the rest of the group.”

“Hn. And what have you learned of the stars?”

She sat up from her previous place lying on her stomach in the grass and looked up at him towering over her.

The moon, big and full and high in the night sky, set the silver of his hair aglow. The swath of night behind his head sparkled with pinpricks of starlight. He echoed their distant and luminous beauty and her breath caught in her throat.

“They are very very high above me.”

He blinked, and then he looked away from her and up into the sky at the very stars watching over then.

“Indeed. But perhaps not so high as they seem.”

Within one blink and the next he was gone, back to his patrol, and Kagome was alone with her book once again. The yellow of her book light now seemed harsh and ugly. She clicked it off and snapped her book shut, pressing her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

She’d always known Sesshomaru possessed other worldly beauty, but it had never struck her like this before.

‘ _He’s never spoken to me that much before, either.’_

The memory of his voice shivered down her spine. She took several moments to calm her racing thoughts and heart rate, and returned to camp to pretend like nothing had changed.

_ ~*Twinkle twinkle little star*~ _

He was tender with Rin.

He was brusque with his brother.

He was polite enough with Miroku’s curiosity.

He obliged Sango’s desire to be ignored.

But with her, sometimes he could be almost loquacious.

He’d started asking her questions here and there about her studies or the variety of stories she read to the children, and he seemed genuinely interested in her breadth of knowledge.

It wasn’t a lot of attention by any measure, but it was a far sight more than he gave anyone else, and always when his eyes were on her, shining with even muted interest in what she had to say, her heart would kick back up.

It was such a startling turn of events, but not one she would panic about.

_ ‘So I have a new crush, big deal.’ _

But foolishly, with each question he asked and each small conversation they shared, hope grew in her heart.

_ ~*How I wonder what you are*~ _

Devoted.

Patient.

Polite.

These were the virtues she extolled when Sango finally cornered her about her increasingly obvious interest in their aloof travel companion.

Loyal.

Steadfast.

Curious.

More words on her list, more proof of her growing understanding.

“It’s silly I know. He’s so far out of my league. It’s just a simple crush, I’ll get over it.”

Sango looked at her and Kagome avoided her gaze resolutely.

“I think he may be interested in you, too. Or at least, I wouldn’t be so quick to say you have no chance.”

Her heart froze and she beat down the bubbling hope fiercely.

“Don’t say that Sango. You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”

Sango sank deeper into the hot spring and closed her eyes with a relaxing sigh.

“When have I ever done that?”

Kagome stared at her in surprise.

She _hadn’t_ ever done such a thing before.

Yuka, Eri and Ayumi would have, her excitable friends back home from high school, but Sango was much too sensible for that.

Far from ready to delve any deeper into such a volatile subject, she followed Sango’s lead and slipped further into the heated waters of the spring.

A shooting star arced overhead.

She closed her eyes and made a wish.


	2. When the Moon Grins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sesshomaru faces a long night with his hanyo daughter during her first human time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not a new concept for a fic by any means. I've seen this premise done many times for InuKag, but I've never seen it done for SessKag before. Probably because people usually give SessKag full demon babies, but I love the idea of Sesshomaru with half demon kids

Bawling, squalling and wriggling like a dying worm, the human baby in Sesshomaru’s arms worked through her fifth consecutive hour of screaming while he stared down at her with a blank face but a rapidly spinning mind.

The infant was completely human, at least for now, and seeing the tuft of black curls on her head had engendered some very strange and uncomfortable thoughts, thoughts he was sitting with while she wailed into the night.

All around them, the rest of the world was still and dark. Some crickets chirped within the trees, a few owls hooted, and nocturnal creatures could be heard scurrying across fallen leaves and branches. He sat under the shade of a large, wide spreading tree, back against the bark, most of his senses primed to sense oncoming danger, predators attracted to the loud cries of an infant cutting through the stillness of the night air, but none would find what they were looking for with him on guard.

None would even approach a Youkai Lord protecting his child.

 _His child_.

She’d been born just a handful of weeks ago, still so new and small and vulnerable, with silver hair so like his own and the same violet moon on her brow. Puppy ears just like his brother's his sat between her silky silver locks and her little nose twitched constantly, always taking in the smells of the world and committing them to memory.

She’d smelled of him and his demonic energies as well as her mother and the purity of a priestess. Something else wholly unique to her individual person laced through the scent of her heritage, and only those who knew him absolutely would have been able to tell that he’d been smitten from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. He still couldn’t believe sometimes that he was here, brimming with pride to have a half breed daughter and a human mate to stand at his side through the centuries, but the pride had come as easily as the love and he hadn’t questioned any of it.

But then tonight when the moon above echoed the one that adorned his brow, his daughter’s beloved silver hair bled black and her doggish ears disappeared in favor of one’s that looked much more like her mother’s. They shouldn’t have been shocked, all hanyo hd a human time after all, but they hadn’t prepared for this. Losing her sharper sense of hearing and smell had been uncomfortable for her, and before her transformation had completed she’d started her screaming.

Screaming that hadn’t ceased the whole night.

Before, she’d been an easily mollified child who didn’t fuss overly much, but Sesshomaru watched his wife fret and worry and stress over the fact that neither of them could get their daughter to settle, and she began to wilt with exhaustion.

She was overwhelmed and over tired, which meant she’d been too frazzled to fight him too hard when he took over.

“Kagome.”

She stopped the bouncing and swaying she’d been doing while their daughter cried in her arms, her blue eyes frantic and fraught with so many things as she looked up at him.

“Give her to me.”

“But you’ve already tried to purr at her and it didn’t work this time!”

He ignored the impulse to step back into one of their ongoing arguments about whether he purred or growled in favor of simply holding his hand out.

“Give her to me.”

“But what are you going to do that we haven’t already tried? Nothing is working. She’s so uncomfortable! I can’t believe we didn’t think-“

He stepped closer and simply took the baby from her. She didn’t have to cooperate with him, he was a Lord who was fully capable of commanding things when he needed to. If she wouldn’t do as he asked, she would simply do what she was told.

“Get in bed.”

She stood slack jawed as she watched him walk the baby to her sleeping basket and lay her down. Her crying didn’t stop, in fact she wailed even louder, but she was safe there for a moment.

He almost rolled his eyes when he stood back up and found Kagome still standing in the same spot, staring at him as if she’d never seen him before.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Am I ever anything but?”

Her mouth clicked shut and she blinked, but, surprisingly, she obeyed with no more objections.

Like a child he tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

“What-“

“I am taking her away so you can sleep.”

“Sleep?! You want me to just sleep?! While she’s like this?!”

“Yes. You will sleep. We will return to you in the morning.”

“But-!”

He heaved a sigh which was just uncharacteristic enough to shut her up.

“Kagome, you are exhausted. We will not succeed in stopping her cries until her demonic energy is returned and she can smell and hear normally again. I will keep her safe until she is comfortable again, and you will sleep.”

Her shoulders sagged and her eyes filled with tears. He hated her tears, but he wouldn’t chide her. Tonight had been hard on them all, but her heart was more tender than anyone else he’d ever known and she'd taken the brunt of the stress.

“But what about you? Aren’t you tired too?”

“I am not human.”

“Doesn’t the crying hurt your ears? They’re so sensitive...”

“Does it not hurt yours?”

She glanced nervously over at the basket holding their crying child and he could see the war in her mind. She desperately wanted sleep, but her instincts were pushing her to care for her upset baby.

“She could get hungry...”

“She will not eat while she is this upset.”

She wavered for just one moment more, and he could see the moment that victory was his.

“Okay... but if you think for even a second that she wants to eat, bring her right back and wake me up, okay?”

He nodded solemnly and she believed that he would do just that. She laid down in their bedding and he took a moment to tuck her back in and kiss her softly.

She sighed and closed her eyes; this night had depleted her and she was accepting defeat. Come morning he would ensure that she felt no guilt, but for now, she needed rest.

He scooped his daughter up and in between one moment and the next he was gone and their room was quiet.

It took him no time at all to get far enough away, and now here he sat against a tree in a forest holding his screaming, human daughter.

It was odd that something so mortal and frail could have come from him, and seeing his pup so vulnerable was uncomfortable in ways he hadn’t been prepared for. It wasn't lost on him that he would have once viewed her as lesser, at that knowledge sat sour in his gut. She was a gift given to him by the love he felt for a wholly mortal woman, and he felt compelled to protect her from his younger, more hateful self.

He brought her up and nuzzled into her dark hair, scenting her, trying to find her in this temporarily human body.

Her scent had surely changed, but he could still detect threads of his own scent. She no longer smelled like a youkai, but she still smelled very much like Kagome, and the smell of her miko power was even stronger.

She was not completely helpless this way then, and a great knot of tension released inside him.

He cuddled her up against his shoulder where her little hands made fists in his hair. She tugged at it as she thrashed, but he didn’t mind at all.

He could feel her breath, hear her heartbeat, hallmarks of her health and safety despite her tears.

He rumbled low in his chest and hummed absently, rubbing up and down her back as he looked out into the dark and watched the night activity.

Before he knew it her cries had calmed and petered out into little gasps and breathy sobs, and just as the sun crested the horizon her youki came back in a strong pulse and she fell fast asleep. He took a great breath of her familiar scent and felt a wash of comfort that she was whole again, and then true to his word he returned to Kagome’s side and passed their sleeping babe over.

Tears streamed down her cheeks but he brushed them away ordered her back into bed until their daughter woke, happy to sit silent vigil over the holders of his heart while the day finally broke the trouble of the long night.


	3. Iridescent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his efforts to ascertain his ward's well-being in the company of a certain miko, Sesshomaru makes a few observations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for SessKag prompt raffle event on tumblr. Can be read as a companion to oneshot 'Star.'
> 
> Assigned prompt: Iridescent

**Iridescent**

Shiny.

She was... shiny?

Sesshomaru tilted his head as he secretly observed her. Hidden behind the tree line around their little camp site, they believed him to be patrolling as he did every night.

Which he was doing, absolutely he was, but he also needed to gather information.

Information on one particular miko who had started to make him wonder things.

Things he was not comfortable wondering.

At least, not about a human.

“Kagome-Chan, what story will you tell us tonight? You tell the best stories!”

Rin’s little voice carried easily to his heightened sense of hearing and he focused on her little form snuggled up to the Miko’s side. His heart did warm at the sight of her, but he’d long since come to terms with the fact that Rin meant something to him. He could only claim she was nothing for so long, everyone already knew he’d do whatever necessary to protect her and provide for her.

She was mostly happy and content, but since joining his pack to his brother’s she’d flourished in ways he hadn’t known a human child could, and most of it was thanks to the nurturing hand of the priestess he was watching.

Truly it was the first big reason he’d decided to pay any attention to her. He must make sure his ward was not in any danger, you see.

But what he’d found on inspection had surprised him.

The miko was... _shiny_.

Shiny was a poor word for it, but he couldn’t find a better one at the moment. Her miko powers were untrained and poorly contained; they ebbed and flowed around her and lit her skin and eyes in an intriguing way.

And he hadn’t quite been able to look away since, though he only indulged in the most discreet of ways.

She was tender, she was firey, she was always looking for ways to pass the time and chivvy the group into some fun, and she was... kind. Really really kind.

To everyone.

Even him.

* * *

Glow.

Did she glow?

Was that a way people described other people?

He admittedly cared very, very little for poetry but he’d been obliged to read a little something here and there and he was certain he’d seen something about glowing people.

But the way her features were lit by the smile on her face as she yet again offered him travel rations from her strange and obnoxious shoulder pack, he decided that “glowing” was also an inadequate descriptor.

“No thank you.”

Her smile brightened ever more despite his refusal and he watched her offer the next person food without missing a beat.

Every day she made the same offer even though every day he rejected it.

It was no doubt part of her endless stores of kindness that she passed out with no reservation or expectation, and it was the second reason he’d chosen to pay closer attention to her.

No one on earth had treated him this way, with friendly kindness simply for the sake of kindness.

Reverence, deference, fear, belligerence to be sure, all these things and more he'd been on the receiving end of by society at large. While she addressed him respectfully and never took liberties with his personal space, there was a casualness in the way she spoke to him or acted around him that he’d never experienced before.

It intrigued him, though he knew if it were anyone else he’d be annoyed.

* * *

Luminous.

Luminous was close, much closer than he’d gotten so far.

He often found her off studying alone when she knew he was doing his nightly patrol around the campsite. Her strange books and writing utensils scattered around her in the grass and something he’d heard her call a ‘book light’ helped her read in the dark. The moon above washed her in silver and her face was often lit gold by that strange torch she attached to whatever book she was reading.

She made a gilded picture he could never help himself from stopping and admiring, at least for a moment, before moving on to the rest of his patrol.

Luminous didn’t quite describe the way her cheeks warmed or her eyes brightened when he began asking about the things she was reading about. As the years had gone on during their quest, her studies had grown more difficult and she seemed to appreciate being able to speak about them with someone willing to listen. She spoke of math, the stars, different eras of literature, not wholly unlike the things his own tutors had taught him when we was a very small pup. It wasn’t the subject matter that led him to asking every day though, curiously enough it was the way the miko spoke that he was after. She was certainly animated with her gestures and expressions and he found her almost charming.

He’d never known humans could be charming, outside of Rin anyway, in the childish way that Rin charmed people.

The miko was far from childish, though.

It seemed he was learning as much as she was.

* * *

Radiant.

She was certainly radiant, especially when she first came out of the depths of the well, cheeks flushed red with the rush of time travel and wisps of well magic still threaded through her Miko’s aura. Her cheeks always burned even hotter when she saw it was his hand that closed over her own and pulled her out into the sun and he would freely admit, at least to himself, that he liked the way she looked when that happened.

Or in the midst of battle when her powers flared bright and fiery, flickering around her body like pink flames no one else seemed to notice.

Or like now, Sesshomaru thought as he looked back over his shoulder where Kagome walked with the slayer and the monk, when the golden evening sun lit her hair like a halo.

The slayer elbowed her side harshly with a smirk and the Miko’s blue eyes flashed up to his. Her face glowed the sweet shade of cherry blossoms, and then her eyes widened in amazement when his face softened just enough to notice.

Yes, she was radiant.

But even that fell short of her.

* * *

Naraku was dead.

The well had closed.

The miko Kagome was trapped away from the time of her birth.

Her sadness displeased him but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased he could continue to observe her.

Or simply sit next to her while she picked herbs for the elderly priestess of the village Rin now lived.

That was his admitted excuse for hanging around.

The miko at his side was his secret.

His curiosity since first watching her to ensure his ward’s safety had only grown, as had his desire to be near her, speak to her, understand her; it had unsettled him at first but now he simply accepted the inevitable.

He had feelings for this human woman.

She chattered at him about the herbs she picked, their purposes both culinary and medicinal, and he listened to every word because it was her voice speaking them.

She lapsed into silence while tying them into bundles and he stared out over the field in which they sat and weighed his odds of convincing her to let him court her.

His brother was obviously never going to make a move, if he even wanted to, so now was the time.

“Sesshomaru-sama, did you know your hair is iridescent? So not fair.”

He blinked, staring blankly out across the earth as her words dropped one by one into his brain, one in particular echoing loudly through his consciousness.

‘Iridescent. Hn.’

He turned his head and met her eyes, staring deeply into their swirling, sapphire depths and weighed that word against everything he’d observed about her in all the time he’d traveled with her.

“Uh... I mean... not that I was staring at your hair.”

She rambled nervously under his scrutiny, but he did not look away.

“Well I guess I _was_ looking... you’re just really pretty.”

Her face turned a shade of red he’d never seen before and her eyes widened in horror.

 _“I mean your hair_ is really pretty. Not you! I mean of course _you're_ really pretty but.. but what I meant to say...-“

He chuckled and her mouth clicked shut, shock silencing her tirade.

He reached out and gently pushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear.

Her lashes fluttered, her heart sped up, he smiled softly down at her, shocking her all over again.

Iridescent might be the most poetic word he’d tried on her yet.

It nearly fit this time, but still managed to fall short.

“Hn. You are free to look where you will. Trust that this Sesshomaru already does.”

It was not the most elegant way to declare his intent, but it was probably the most humorous. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish and he smirked, which made her eyes go starry and stunned.

Iridescent was close, but not close enough. His search would continue, but he would have quite a long time to figure her out, if he had anything to say about it.


	4. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a tumblr post theorizing that Sesshomaru may be wearing makeup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for SessKag monthly prompts over on tumblr. January's prompt: cold

** Cold **

The air in the cave was dry and warm despite the storm raging outside, but Kagome still felt stiff.

The sky had been dark and heavy all day, threatening at any moment to break open over their heads. A cool wind sliced through the hot summer humidity, whipping their hair into their faces and chilling their skin. They watched with wariness as the clouds churned above them, laced through with lightening and the distant rumbles of thunder.

They’d agreed to continue their journey as they were in a mountainous region with plenty of little caves to shelter in, but they were all on edge thanks to the charged atmosphere.

And then chaos struck.

A band of demons attacked for the shards and their group was quickly split up in the fighting. Kagome was shocked to find herself fighting alone with Sesshomaru when she’d previously been walking with Sango, but he’d long since proven himself a trustworthy ally so she did her best to offer support with her own powers and watched in awe as he took care of their opponents with quick, efficient ease.

And then the rain started. 

Thick sheets of freezing rain dumped from the sky and soaked them through to the bone. Kagome panicked for just a moment when she couldn’t see through the downpour, but then a strong arm closed around her waist and she was airborne. She immediately relaxed upon recognizing the aura of her previous battle partner, and he quickly found them a suitable cave for hiding from the rain.

Her relief soon gave way to awkwardness.

She was completely alone... with Sesshomaru. They’d all joined forces some time ago in their seemingly endless search for Naraku, and in that time Sesshomaru had gone from enemy, to reluctant ally, to steady companion. They had what she considered, and hoped he did as well, a tentative friendship. They spoke here and there of things from her time, his life outside of the spider hunt, and even asked each other for advice and clarification on the children they’d adopted from each other’s respective species. 

But Kagome was still nervous to be too casual with him, afraid of offending his aristocratic sensibilities by lowering anymore formality than she already had.

She was regretting that right about now as she stood and fidgeted with her hands while he gathered sticks from the dusty cave floor for a fire.

“If you have dry clothing to change into in that pack, you should change into them now. There is a small chamber in the back of the cave you can use for privacy.”

She said a quick prayer of thanks that he wasn’t looking at her to see they way she startled at the sound of his voice. She pressed a hand to her racing heart and looked around, spotting her overly stuffed bag against the cave wall. She snatched it up and scurried into the little stone alcove that was just deep enough to grant her the necessary privacy to change. Once dry and free of her wet clothes she felt much more comfortable, especially at the sight of the crackling fire in the center of the cave. It chased away the rest of the chill and lit the tiny shelter up with warm, golden light. 

She sat down near the flames and relaxed further as warmth and comfort suffer her entire being, then she looked up at Sesshomaru sitting on the other side, intent on thanking him for helping her to shelter and building a fire when the words died in a garbled mess in her throat.

“What are you doing?!” She screeched, and he lifted one brow in question, but continued to remove the top half of his clothing.

“Would you rather I sat in my wet clothing?”

“I... I... uh-“ she clapped her hands over her flaming cheeks and looked pointedly away from his bare chest. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that he wouldn’t be as fortunate as she was to have so many extra clothes on hand. It would be really rude to ask him to sit there in wet clothing just because she was embarrassed.

‘ _Get it together Kagome, you’re an adult now, you can handle sharing a cave with a naked male.’_

But when he started on removing his hakama she panicked again.

“WAIT!”

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out the fluffy robe she’d added in sometime in the last two years to wear after bathtimes during the colder months and handed it to him. He sniffed at it and then raised a brow at her in question.

“Its... kind of like a Yukata? People wear them after baths and things.”

He nodded and slipped the robe on, tying the belt around his waist before divesting himself of the rest of his clothes and Kagome breathed a little easier, though he did look a little funny in her fuzzy bathrobe. 

He sat down in front of the fire and began ringing his soaking hair out. She felt a pang of guilt that she’d allowed her nerves to keep her from seeing that he was still absolutely dripping in rain water.

‘ _He killed those Youkai, grabbed my bag, got me to safety, AND built a fire. I’m not being a very good friend right now...’_

“Here Sesshomaru-sama, I have a towel you can use. It’ll work better than just ringing it out.”

She met his gaze bravely despite her still pink cheeks as she offered him her towel and he nodded gratefully, pulling it over his head and rubbing it through his hair.

Kagome returned to her place on the other side of the fire and contemplated getting her books out to do some studying, but then Sesshomaru’s hand entered her field of vision holding out her now damp towel. 

She took it and smiled up at him, but then his face made her gasp in alarm.

“Sesshomaru-sama! Your stripes!”

He blinked and his hand raised to his cheek.

“My stripes? What about my-“

“No not those, the ones on your eyes.. they’re gone!”

His brow furrowed in confusion for a moment and his head tilted just barely to the side.

“You speak nonsense miko. I do not have stripes on my eyes.”

Her jaw dropped and she gaped at him a moment. 

“No eye stripes? How can you say that? They’re the same color as your cheek stripes! They go just across your eyelid!”

“Ah, those. Those are not stripes.”

“Then what are they? Where did they go?”

“They must have come off on the towel. They are much the same as what the slayer has on her eyes.”

Kagome stared blankly at him for several seconds, and then shook out her towel, examining both sides thoroughly until she found what she was looking for.

Two red splotches streaked across the white fabric in a way so familiar she couldn’t deny it no matter how incredible the whole incident seemed.

“Makeup?! Sesshomaru-Sama, you wear eyeliner? This whole time it’s been eyeliner?”

“I have never heard it called thus, but it is an apt enough description.”

“Huh.” She stared at him in disbelief for a moment before simply sinking back to the cave floor. 

She eyed him and he looked very strange with nothing on his eyelids. She snorted at that thought.

‘ _He’s sitting across from me naked in a bathrobe and it’s his lack of eyeshadow that’s making this so weird. Go figure.’_

“Do you.... need a mirror to put more on?”

“Thank you miko, but my supply is with Ah-Un.”

“I see. Does it... mean anything? The makeup, I mean.”

She had a hard time looking into his eyes as she spoke to him. It was like a classmate getting contact lenses after wearing glasses their whole life; it looked like him... but wrong.

He shrugged elegantly and spread his clothing a little closer to the fire to dry faster.

“It is not uncommon for those in my station to wear such facial adornments. My father inherited the practice from his father. My mother adopted it when they married. They both passed it on to me.”

“Oh... is it always the same color?”

“It does not have to be, but that’s the color my mother prefers. It is she who supplies it to me.”

“Oh interesting...” Kagome replied, once again eyeing her bag. Somewhere in there was a set of colorful eyeliner pencils she’d bought, intending to gift them to Sango. She’d known the red on her slayer friend's eyes was some sort of makeup, and she was going to ask if the new colors would be something sango would like, but the opportunity presenting itself to her now was too good to pass up.

‘And I can always buy more next time I go through the well.’

“Would Uh... would you be open to trying some new colors tonight then?”

“Come again, Miko?”

Instead of explaining, she dug through her bag until she found the pencils and held them up triumphantly, expecting that to be sufficient explanation. She was rewarded with a flat look of annoyance.

“Am I supposed to know what this is?”

She giggled and then moved around the fire to sit nearer to him, taking out one of the pencils and handing it over for his inspection.

“They’re eyeliner pencils. This is how people in my time would color our eyelids like you do. I have several colors in here if you want to try! I can even do it for you the first time!” She chirped happily, confident he would not take her up on that particular offer.

Her world fell out from under her when he handed the pencil back.

“Very well. I will allow it.”

“S-say What?!”

“I have never used such a device before miko, so I will allow you to demonstrate.”

“Uh.. Okay, that’s fair enough. Any particular color you’d prefer?”

She held out the package and he looked it over carefully before using his claws to gingerly pull one out and hand it to her.

“Green? That’s unexpected. But okay, I can do it. I’ll need you to stay seated and close your eyes, okay Sesshomaru-sama?”

“Hn.” He responded and tilted his face up, and Kagome had to take a deep breath to calm her once again racing heart.

She was struck by the realization that she’d never seen him this close before. She’d always found him beautiful in a very distant sort of way, but this close up he was positively stunning. His face was relaxed and trusting, and she felt touched that she’d made herself someone he could let his guard down around; his lashes were long and dark against his cheeks, and his chiseled jaw and nose were softened by skin that seemed too perfect and unmarred for such a battle hardened warrior. 

Her hands fluttered around his face a moment before she found the nerve to force herself to touch him, resting one hand against his cheek to steady his face while she poised the other over his eyes. With as steady a hand as she could manage she pressed the tip of the pencil to his lid and pulled it across. A green line followed behind until she reached the end of his eye.

She switched sides and finished off the other eye, making sure they matched and that one line wasn’t longer or thicker than the other, and then she smiled in accomplishment that this whole thing hadn’t turned out to be a disaster.

“Alright Sesshomaru-Sama, I’m done.”

His eyes opened and her breath caught. The firelight reflected back at her, illuminating theotherworldly gold of them in a way that left her stunned. They looked just like a diamond she’d seen once during a trip to the mall as a child, it was large, clear and yellow, and it reflected a million pinpoints of rainbow light just the way his eyes were doing now. They shimmered and swirled and the only thought they left in her head was that she can’t believe she’d ever thought of these eyes as cold.

She cleared her throat and took a step back to give herself some space to breath, turning away to pull her mirror from her bag.

“H-here you go, you can use this to see. It’s very, very different from usual, but I have to say, the green look really nice with your eyes.”

Her cheeks warmed again but she met his gaze resolutely before he looked into the mirror at his reflection. He turned his head from side to side and examined her work then hummed under his breath in approval.

“This color is pleasing.”

“You can keep the pencil then. You can have all of them if you like.”

He took the package again and looked them over, drawing out another one.

“Your turn.” He said, gesturing for her to sit in front of him.

“Uh, pardon?”

“Sit Kagome, this Sesshomaru will return the favor.”

“Oh, you don’t have-“

“Sit.”

She did as told, swallowing down the explosion of butterflies that threatened to swarm up her throat and choke her. 

She’d spent far too long isolated with the inhumanly beautiful Lord of the West, she desperately needed to rain to stop so she could get some fresh air.

He tilted her chin up gently and her eyes fluttered closed. She felt him press the pencil to her forehead, and in just a few moments he bid her open her eyes and look in her mirror.

She gasped again when she found that he’d drawn on her brow a purple moon that matched his own perfectly.

She looked back up at him in confusion, and found him staring back with a small but soft smile. 

‘ _Oh my...’_

She had a feeling that there was a meaning she was missing, but she decided she wouldn’t worry too much about that for now, this day had already been too much.

She looked back at the reflection of her new moon and grinned. 

“Thank you Sesshomaru-sama.”

They relaxed into comfortable conversation, shared some travel rations from her bag, and then finally the storm broke just after Sesshomaru was able to redress.

Mere moments after the last drop fell from the sky, Inuyasha and the others came racing through the entrance, a million questions about what had happened and if they were safe. “What the hell happened to your face?!” Inuyasha shouted incredulously at his first look at his brother, but when Sesshomaru simply stared at him he huffed and rushed them all outside to hurry on their way. 

She hugged her friends in greeting, shouldered her bag, and slipped the package of makeup pencils into Ah-Un’s saddle bag. 

They were set to go, a few last rays of sun to spend finding a camping spot, and Kagome was ready to set off with an extra spring in her step.


	5. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no formula for determining how a Hanyo will appear

The first had looked just like his brother: silver hair, puppy ears, Golden eyes, claws and fangs, a quintessential Inu-hanyo son.

The second and third had been twins, a boy who looked completely human and a girl who looked completely Youkai. If it weren’t for their mixed scent no one would know they were hanyo.

The fourth had been another mix of features. Silver hair, blue eyes, softly pointed ears, no fangs or claws; a beautiful little girl that Kagome called her elf-child. 

The fifth had been a surprise.

His arrival had been diligently planned and anticipated; all their children were loved and doted on equally and adding another now the others were getting older was a choice that had taken no real thought.

He came into the world just as the others in a flurry of chaos and excitement, but the silence following his birth had been deafening. 

The baby cried, but everyone in the room took one look and lost their own voices.

He had healthy lungs, that much was certain, two arms, and two legs....

It was the soft coating of fur that covered his body and undeniably doggish snout that seemed so out of place.

Kagome... he looked to her immediately. Tears streamed silently down her face as the midwife placed her new baby in her arms and she cooed over him. He could smell her fear and anxiety, stronger than the fatigue of childbirth and edged with deep sadness.

She closed her eyes and wept. He snapped out of his shock and went straight to her side, looking over his new pup to ensure he was healthy despite his appearance.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oh Kami-Sama I’m so sorry.”

She kissed the baby’s head and rocked from side to side with him, whispering apologies into his fur and weeping in anguish.

He was at a loss how to help her, so when the babe was asleep and she’d fitfully rested for at least a little while he endeavored to find out what he could from her.

“Why do you apologize to him?”

Weary from birth and such a turbulent storm of emotion, Kagome sighed and wilted into his side. 

“I know you saw him. You held him, how could you not have? Hanyo have a hard enough time as it is, even when they look mostly human. What’s the world going to do to him, Sesshomaru? How is the world going to treat my baby?”

Her tears started anew.

He scooped her up and placed her in his lap where she sank into him, tears bleeding into the silk of his clothing.

“I don’t know if you ever met Jinenji. He’s a hanyo who didn’t turn out like Inuyasha. He’s huge and has an inhuman face. He’s gentle and good but the villagers he lives near tormented him. His mother was so old... I don’t know if she’s even alive anymore, and his father wasn’t there. I just... I’m so scared. Our other children have options, they can hide if they need to... but this one...”

He tightened his arms around her and rumbled low in his chest to soothe her wildly fluctuating aura.

“We will go and find this Jinengi when you are healed.”

Kagome grew still and her crying ceased. 

“What?”

“We will ascertain his well-being and offer him a place here should he wish it.”

“Sesshomaru....”

“As for our son, he will have a mother who never dies and a father who will not leave his side. No matter what he faces in the world, or what cruelties he encounters, he will be safe with us. He will be safe with _me_.”

Her face crumpled in tired relief and she fell back into his embrace. No one would be fooled into thinking the problem was solved, they were only at the beginning of his little life and there was no true way to predict what challenges would be in store for him. 

But, Sesshomaru thought as he pulled the little sleeping basket closer and observed his new son sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the angst his parents were trying to process, he already wouldn’t trade him for anything. 

“Another strong son. Father would be proud. _I_ am proud.”

He ran one fingertip through the soft, silvery fur covering his rounded cheek and smiled. 


	6. In Time’s Limbo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love between demons and humans seemed destined to end in tragic separation. They'd made it farther than any others but still the cruel hand of fate hovered over their happiness. There was no enemy capable of separating them, but even they couldn't fight time itself.

If love between a human and demon had ever ended in more than tragedy, neither of them knew of it. Every example of such an attempt at love ended in agony, premature death, and sometimes ostracized children forced to grow without one or both parents. It was a daunting history to build on, but it was a risk they wanted to take, needed to take.

Sesshomaru traced the light glowing off Kagome’s skin as it streamed through their bedroom window. His hand drifted down to her swollen stomach and he smiled softly as their first child shifted around inside. They would be born soon, according to her calculations, and they waited with anticipation, excitement and nervousness. If all went well it would be the first of many.

Kagome stretched as her mind and body woke, and smiled a wide, sleepy smile at her husband of several happy, blissful years.

“Mornin’ Sh’maru”

She nuzzled up under his chin and his arm wrapped around her back, rubbing up and down rhythmically, lulling her back into a light doze.

As her heartbeat settled back into its previously sleepy cadence, Sesshomaru allowed himself to be lulled back to sleep by her measured breathing, her beloved scent, her soft skin on his, the small movements and nudges of their unborn child, content that they’d seemed to successfully defy the odds against them- for now.

* * *

Their children ran and chased Sango and Miroku’s across the garden lawn, Shippo and Rin sat and talked quietly under the shade of a Sakura tree, and Kagome and Sesshomaru watched from the back of the crowd as Inuyasha blushed and scowled in embarrassment next to his glowing new bride. Sesshomaru was disgruntled to have so many people descending on his home, but Kagome was overjoyed that her best friend was finding the happiness he’d always deserved. She was a sweet human woman who worked in their home and she’d met Inuyasha during one of his visits. It gave her an aching hope for her own hanyo children that perhaps the tides were turning in their favor.

A certain sadness tinged the edges of her joy, and Sesshomaru took note of the way it soured her scent immediately. He searched her eyes with a question in his own, but she waved him off with excuses of the bittersweet reality of change.

He could smell the lie as clearly as the sadness, but he relented to her wish to let it go for the time being.

Once alone in their rooms for the night he cornered her and her shoulders slumped in resignation.

“You will tell me what it is that upset you earlier. According to your own words, weddings are joyous occasions.”

She stared passed him and gazed blankly at their bed where they slept each night, at the wardrobes and chests holding their clothes and belongings, the trapping of their life.

“How old is Inuyasha?”

Sesshomaru blinked. Even these years later the inner workings of her mind could be a bit of a maze, but he hadn’t been this thrown off in some time.

“I do not know. 200 years at least.”

“And he’s only just now married.”

He tilted his head and searched every inch of her face, but her expression was shuddered and her eyes were dull. He would be more concerned if he wasn’t so confused.

“There is usually no rush when a being lives so long. If you but ask him, I’m certain he would assure you he has no regrets with how long it took him to find a suitable wife.”

“Right. He will live a very long time, he is hanyo after all," She mumbled, her voice flat and emotionless. And then she turned her eyes up into his and the storms turning their vibrant blue grey and icy took his breath away for a moment.

“Sesshomaru,” she whispered, throat choked with the tears streaming down her face. “Am I even going to live long enough to see one of my babies get married?”

His eyes widened as she finally put words to the fear he’d refused to name since coming to terms with his growing affection for her. Even though they’d managed to overcome all the things that had destroyed previous matches between a demon and human, he was still destined to lose her to Time’s cruel hand. Her happiness was his greatest responsibility, so he’d buried these fears and refused to name them.

He yanked her into his embrace and held her firmly while she cried. In a stream of sadness she apologized for having to leave him one day, leave their children, grow old and grey while they remained vibrant and beautiful and young, and pleaded with him to choose his next wife carefully for their family’s sake.

He ran his claws through her hair and rumbled low in his chest until she’d calmed from her body racking sobs into a quieter sniffle, and then he finally spoke.

“You speak nonsense Kagome. This Sesshomaru has no plans to take any other wives. There is only you.”

“But you’re going to live so long. You can’t possible think you won’t fall in love again. Just make sure she’s kind to the children. And our grandchildren. Don’t marry some racist snob for political gain, make sure she’s-“

He placed his hand over her mouth and silenced her, and then placed a lingering kiss on her brow.

“Kagome, I cannot tell you that I’ve never worried about the truth of your mortality and the reality that your existence in this plane is much briefer than mine. I don’t say such things often, but the thought of losing you for any reason is uncomfortable to me. But this is the path I’ve chosen, you are the woman I’ve chosen, and so I will accept that I cannot keep you for as long as I’d wish. I cannot promise that I will be fine when that day comes, only reassure you that I will remain only yours until that day and beyond. And when my own time comes, we will be reunited once more.”

She stared up at him silently, let his words sink into her and soothe away some of her panic and heartache. She relaxed into him and let him wrap himself around her, and with his strength to bolster her, she fell into fitful sleep.

* * *

Life went on with its share of joy and sorrow, and Kagome was able to put the angst of her mortality mostly away. She didn’t have near so much life stretching out in front of her as her husband and children, but she did have quite a bit, and she wouldn’t squander it worrying too much about things she couldn’t change. The children grew and they welcomed a couple more of their own before Inuyasha and his wife became parents. The world’s first known quarter hanyo was a precious little thing, and Kagome delighted in being her aunt. Sango and Miroku had a team of offspring that brought chaos whoever they went.

The children grew, the seasons spun, and Kagome settled into a mostly happy acceptance of life and the way things would go. She didn’t look too closely in any mirror, she counted years instead of days and minutes, she hosted her friends and family and loved every minute with them.

And then a long, harsh winter settled over the land and kept everyone apart for many long months. Spring took much longer to come by and when the final snows finally cleared and the ground was dry and green her friends loaded up their family for a much needed visit.

Kagome greeted them with enthusiasm that quickly turned to icy dread when she saw that Miroku’s hair was now shot through with grey. It started growing in on the sides above his ears, and then she was suddenly very aware of the extra crinkles around both he and Sango’s eyes when they laughed at the antics of the rapidly growing children.

Sesshomaru stuck closer to her than he usually did during these loud and chaotic visits, one hand always at her back or on her shoulder, sensing her distress.

She spent more time than she’d like to admit studying her features in her mirror before finally going to sleep, searching for wrinkles and lines that her husband insisted didn’t exist.

Yet.

* * *

The wind blew through their hair and whipped there clothes around their bodies; it blew cold and harsh so high up in the mountains but being so far away from it all was meant to be an escape for them.

His brother had stayed with their children, and it was just the two of them, but Sesshomaru’s plan so far was fruitless.

His little miko wife was once again failing to keep the lid on her sadness and worry at growing old and leaving them behind. Most of the time she laid it to rest and lived her life but once in a while it would rear its ugly head and demand to be felt.

He didn’t blame her, he also held such fears. Watching her wither away at the hands of time, hands he was powerless to stop, left him feeling useless and angry. He didn’t wan’t to lose her anymore than she wanted to be lost, but he so far refused to burden her with his fears when her's were already so heavy.

He wrapped her in his arms and looked out over the landscape with her, enjoying the feel of her firm and alive in his arms.

For the rest of his centuries he would remember how she felt here, pressed against his chest, the feel of her heart beating strong, her breathing steady and sure. Her scent, her voice when she laughed, or argued with him, or told stories to there children, her hands in his hair and on his skin or wrapped in his own as they walked through their gardens.

None of these things would he forget no matter how many years he lived through.

He grasped her shoulders and turned her, tilted her chin up, and studied her face. Nearly three decades had they been together and she approached her 40th year of life, yet she looked just as young and vibrant as she had when he’d taken her as his own. She didn’t believe him when he told her that, but it was the truth.

He kissed her softly, dried her tears, made her forget all but him and her and them together for the rest of their time in their mountaintop sanctuary.

* * *

Another decade passed and they started to suspect that something was off.

Kagome approached her 50th year with all of her youthful beauty still firmly intact.

Sango and Miroku could pass as her parents now, and it made her feel a little awkward around them, though they assured her they weren’t bothered.

Inuyasha’s wife also seemed to be frozen in time; being nearly a decade younger than them when she married the inuhanyo, 20 years to their 30, it would have taken them longer to notice if it hadn’t been so apparent in Kagome.

Sesshomaru made the decision to seek out the old tree Bokuseno to see if the tree held any knowledge or wisdom.

He returned empty handed.

“He says there are no known cases of a paring between a demon and a human lasting for more than a handful of tragic years. At one time it was believed such a match was cursed by the gods. None have made it half so long as we have.”

Kagome blinked as that information settled. Since Inuyasha’s wife was also not aging, they’d ruled out any chance the Shikon Jewel may have played a part, but if what Sesshomaru was saying was true...

“So... wait, what does that mean?”

Sesshomaru knelt I front of her where she sat and took her hands in his. Her blue eyes swirled and stormed with confusion, uncertainty, and tremulous hope. Her eyes had always been so expressive, not being able to look into them in the future was something that haunted him, but apparently those ghosts could be finally laid to rest.

“It means, my wife, that I may not have to lose you to time after all.”

Her eyes widened and then her face crumpled. She fell forward into his chest and sobbed out all her remaining fear, worry, and sadness until that bottomless well was filled instead with relief.

He stroked her hair and gathered her into his lap, pressing his lips to her head as he whispered more assurances to her.

“It means you will see your children grow. You will meet your grandchildren. You will see your mother again.”

He tilted her chin up and locked eyes with her, hovered his mouth just over hers, breathed his happiness, his thankfulness, his immense relief over her skin.

“It means you will never leave my side. You will always be mine.”

They sank into each other, into a night spared of all the worries of the past no longer hovering like a specter over their home.

They would have to say goodbye to Sango and Miroku and the children they’d born, they would say goodbye to Kohaku, but they would keep Rin who had become Shippo’s wife, and Inuyasha would not lose his wife, either.

If ever there had been a curse on the love of a demon and a human, surely it was gone, banished into hell with Naraku and the Jewel where it belonged, for life ran on and they both remained, untouched by time and wrapped in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as cliche as they can be to some people, I love the idea of mating marks and bonds equalizing lifespans. I like *happy* endings. But what if they didn't know such a happy ending was possible?


	7. Brush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Nights 
> 
> Prompt: Brush  
> Word count: 100

Kagome was certain she was imagining things. One too many trips through time had addled her brain; so many days out of school had caused her intelligence to slip; arguing with Inuyasha had destroyed her maturity and her good sense. That’s all this was, that’s all it could be!   
Her heart sped up again. She could feel him at her back. She kept her eyes forward and her thoughts on the road ahead. Sesshomaru passed by and the now familiar brush of his hand against hers arrested her attention. She met his sharp golden eyes and forgot how to breath.


	8. Grip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Nights 
> 
> Prompt: Grip  
> Word count: 100

‘ _Get a grip, get a grip, get a grip_.’ Kagome chanted to herself in her mind, eyes darting all around at everything but the shirtless youkai in the river. She’d known this trip would be a disaster when she found out Sesshomaru was coming this year. He NEVER came with them. _‘I can’t believe they made me come out here, I’m not even good at fishing.’_   
“Kagome.”

She turned immediately at the sound of his voice. He’d caught a fish, it was her time to catch it in their bucket. His chiseled muscles flexed enticingly; her eyes widened; she missed.


	9. Strike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Nights 
> 
> Prompt: Strike  
> Word count: 100

He was reclined regally nearby, a crown of flowers perched casually on his shining silver hair courtesy of Rin. The sun lit his face. She glanced down again to the herbs she was picking, looking for distraction. A shadow fell over her where she sat and she looked up with a blush to see his strong, broad form towering over her. His brow lifted in question, and she noticed he held the ribbon that had blown from her hair. 

She gulped and took it back, fingers burning where they brushed against his.   
She was going on strike from her hormones.


	10. Trail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Nights 
> 
> Prompt: Trail  
> Word Count: 100

As her breath drew in and out in a measured cadence, Sesshomaru gently dragged his claws across her warm flesh. His eyes skimmed over her soft curves, his nose relished the lingering smell of sweat, skin and _them_ , and her breathy sighs and his name in her voice echoed in his ears. 

She moved closer to him, pressing tighter to his chest in her sleep and his arms wrapped around her in response.   
He dropped a kiss to the top of her head, nuzzled his nose into her hair, and stepped gladly onto the old trail of his father’s footsteps.


	11. Press

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Nights 
> 
> Prompt: Press  
> Word Count: 100

Her hands were practically shaking, and she was positive she wasn’t breathing, though her thoughts were so scattered she couldn’t really tell. This had been a terrible idea, but she could tell something was wrong with the way Sesshomaru kept rolling his shoulders, and her bleeding heart had her mouth running away from her before her mind could stop it. And now she sat on top of his shirtless back, prepared to massage the knots away.   
Her hands pressed into his flesh, his muscles rippled, and with his first moan of satisfied relief, Kagome felt her soul flee her body.


	12. Firm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Night
> 
> Prompt: Firm  
> Word Count: 100

“It’s definitely not, Kagome.”  
“It so is Sango, there’s no way it’s not.”  
“I dare you to find out.”  
“Absolutely not! Are you crazy Sango?”  
“No, are you _scared_? I’ve never known you to back out of a challenge Kagome.”  
“This isn’t a challenge, this is _assault_.”  
“Scaaaaared. Scaredy cat Kagome. Bock Bock!”  
“Fine!” Kagome shouted, marching right up behind the tall, imposing yokai taking the lead. She took a moment to gather her courage, and then with a loud * _SMACK_ * Sesshomaru turned around with wide, shocked eyes.  
“Oh yeah,” Kagome called back to Sango smugly, “that ass is _firm_.”


	13. Twitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Night
> 
> Prompt: Twitch  
> Word Count: 100

Her scent was everywhere, fogging up the air of his home as it did every Wednesday night. His brother’s tutoring sessions had become his own special hell. Their father insisted, his second son would _not_ flunk out of college. 

He had hired the best tutor; she was polite, smart, punctual...

Absolutely delectable. 

He watched her bustle around and set out supplies. She bent to retrieve a dropped pencil and his hand twitched as her pants pulled taught across her ass.  
She noticed him then and turned a wide, sunny smile on him.  
“Hello Sesshomaru!”  
“Kagome.” He replied evenly, and left.


	14. Stroke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Night 
> 
> Prompt: Stroke  
> Word Count: 100
> 
> Now with art by cakeitOn on tumblr!

  
His spine was straight and rigid, his eyes glazed over in red. He closed them and breathed in deeply, her scent filling his nose and clouding his mind as surely as the feeling of her hands stroking through the fur of his mokomoko.  
He ached to grab her, toss her to the ground, press his body into hers, but their bond was tentative and new.  
“Your fur is so soft, Sesshomaru-Sama!” She exclaimed, and he fought off images of her wrapped in it and nothing else. Her nails scratched into it and his breath caught on a quiet, strangled groan.


	15. Handle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Night 
> 
> Prompt: Handle  
> Word Count: 100

It was another day at the office, or it should have been, if Kagome could get a handle on her emotions. 

Sesshomaru had come in with lipstick smeared across his cheek and, though she knew her chances with him were slim to start, it felt like a slap to know they were totally nil.   
A moment in the break room to catch her breath was all she needed.   
But then he walked in, reached around her, plucked a tissue from the box and wiped his face.   
“I’ll need to have that receptionist fired for assault.”   
She tried not to smile.


	16. Scratch/Soothe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Discord Drabble Night
> 
> Prompt: Scratch/Soothe  
> Word Count: 100
> 
> Fic rating changed to “Mature” for this one to be safe.

He thought perhaps at first she was just an itch he needed to scratch, a shamefully inherited instinct from his father. But one time to sate his curiosity turned into another and another, and soon having her writhing beneath him, moaning his name, pulling his hair was the only thing that soothed his burning need.   
He craved her taste, her touch, her smell, the enchanting glow of her eyes.  
He caged her in in the sheets of his bed and drank in her flushed cheeks, hazy stare, mussed hair; he kissed her softly and accepted defeat.  
“Stay with me, Kagome.”


	17. Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for SessKag monthly prompts on Tumblr. February’s prompt: Sweet

**Sweet**

He’d never forget the day the past caught up to him, when it stepped right onto the path he’d carved for himself, sometimes rather forcefully, in a world that seemed determined to eradicate his kind as surely as it had relegated them to myth and legend.

She walked into his bakery and he was struck by the familiarity of her; her scent, her face, her aura, he was certain he’d encountered them all before. Her eyes, blue and stormy and unique, landed on him and she stopped cold with a gasp.

“Sesshomaru-sama?” She whispered, and his world stopped spinning and narrowed down to the square tile he stood in and the woman a scant few feet in front of him.

A name he hadn’t heard in centuries, would have forgotten the sound of if he didn’t whisper it to himself on occasion, and the feel of her aura kicking up with her emotions brushed against his skin, charged with a sensation he’d thought as lost to time as his title and reputation.

“Miko.” He answered, and a tension that had held her rigid and straight snapped and she sagged, eyes shining with wonder, disbelief, and a crushing hope so relatable he thought he may be staring in a mirror.

She broke their eye contact and looked around the little bakery; a few tables and chairs, a mural of a crescent moon over a zen garden, the display case full of sweet, handmade desserts, and then she met his gaze again.

“You work in a bakery?” She asked, bewilderment coloring her tone.

“Hn.” He answered evenly, hiding how off kilter he felt. “It is mine.”

“You _own_ a bakery, I see.”

He said nothing, simply staring at a specter of his past he’d thought dead and gone centuries ago, probably buried next to his brother and the humans he’d claimed as family. He had no doubt she was feeling similarly seeing him now.

“I.... I’d like to buy something.”

He blinked and nodded in her direction, sweeping his arm out over the glass covering of his display case.

“Welcome to Moon House Bakery, how may I serve you today?”

Her jaw dropped and she stared at him silently for several long moments, her shock and confusion palpable.

“Oh my.”

He merely waited silently for her to make her choices, and then he boxed them up and handed them over.

She fumbled for her wallet, hands sweaty and shaky, but he covered them with one of his own and she stared down at it as if she couldn’t make out what it was.

“This one is on the house, for the sake of old alliances.”

“Your stripes are gone.” She said after a moment of quiet, and then she looked back up into his face with tears in her eyes. “Your stripes are gone, your hair is black, your eyes are brown... I only recognized you because of your aura.”

He regarded her carefully and then sighed out his weariness, centuries old and heavy as the world.

“Not gone. Hidden.”

Understanding dawned and her tears fell.

“I’d like to come back. Can I come back?”

“You have done nothing to earn my ire and be banished from my shop.” He replied, glancing over at his Wall of the Damned full of pictures of loud mouths, wannabe thieves and those with no respect for the peace of public spaces. She giggled a little, and then gathered up her treats and made for the door.

“I’m so happy I found you, Sesshomaru-sama.”

For as long as he’d had to hide himself, he’d feared he’d lost himself. Warmth suffused his chest and he manages a small but sincere smile.

“I’m pleased you found me as well, Kagome.”


End file.
